Green densification model

Ecological parks are parks that reduce stormwater runoff and pollutant emissions. It refers to a number of techniques applied at the same time to reduce the total impervious surface of a parking space, the decrease in the surface temperature and maintain a green island in crowded areas. In Timisoara, until the date of this completed intervention (2009), there were located 11 ecological parking spaces, placed throughout the city, most of them near building blocks in former industrial quarters (3)

Located in a former German village, Freidorf, which became a quarter of the city of Timisoara in the twentieth century, the Lămâiţa Pond is a recreation blue area, initially a dumpster, surrounded by building blocks built in the communist period. Through this intervention, the municipality aims at reducing the size of the pond, cleaning it, creating a beneficial area for different types of vegetation and fish. Also, its goals are to give a recreational space to the community that lives by and to also establish a rainwater management centre for the neighbourhood. (1)

Together with citizens, municipality, NGOs and urban green space developers and managers, GREEN SURGE contributed to the improvement of Ljubljana’s urban green spaces in the LivadaLAB initiative. This project combined research insights with the expertise of the youth NGO Zavod Bob, University of Ljubljana, the Institute for Sustainable Development, construction company LAVCO, urban management company TISA, and a number of local businesses. Together, they implemented a project which successfully integrates youth and environmental policy goals for the City of Ljubljana. It engaged over 30 young citizens in developing a multifunctional open public green space with the aim to further promote, support and foster the active role of citizens, especially marginalized groups, in improving the quality of urban green spaces in Ljubljana. This project is one of the initiatives under the overarching Uran Learning Labs (ULLs) project by Green Surge, which was applied to 20 European cities. (1, 4 and 5)

"After the intervention, the 530 square metres of the block of land have been turned into a new public square with a metal structure over fifteen metres high which is the support of a hanging garden. The structure is attached to the two flank walls facing on to the square in such a way that it completely conceals them. Beneath the ground level of the square, there is a basement housing the new offices of the neighbourhood association, which is responsible for the environmental management of the garden and its use as an educational space." (Ref. 2)

Each year, since 2003 between 22 March, World Water Day, and 22 April, World Earth Day, the traditional spring cleaning campaign For a More Beautiful Ljubljana (Za lepšo Ljubljano) is in progress in Ljubljana. The basic goal of the For a More Beautiful Ljubljana campaign is to give a thorough spring clean to functional areas across the City of Ljubljana, and those taking part include Departments within the City Administration, the City’s District Authorities, public companies united within Ljubljana Public Holdings, City of Ljubljana public institutes and various Ljubljana societies. (1 and 5)

The Festival Park Liverpool project involves the transformation of the former International Garden Festival site into an internationally recognized riverside suburb with strong neighbourhood connections and leisure facilities. The 36-hectare site is split into three different zones namely 1) Development Zone 2)Southern Grasslands and 3) Festival Gardens. The project masterplan was created by K2 Architects and was launched by the Liverpool City Mayor Joe Anderson. (Reference 1, 4, 7).
The Festival Park Liverpool masterplan consists of 1) a mixed-use housing including residential zone, primary school, medical centre and a culture hub 2) social heart of the residential area with hotels, bars and restaurants 3) a beachfront neighbourhood with residential apartments, pavement cafes, restaurants and bars, designed around an ‘Amsterdam’ styled canal frontage 4) festival gardens 5) grasslands to be remodelled into a natural habitat for wildlife and leisure activities (Reference 1).
In 2017, a set of land surveys and environmental assessments, along with the first phase of site mediation, were carried out. A consent to develop 1380 residential units were provided with validity until December 2022 (Reference 1). Detailed site investigations have been undertaken in the Development Zone and now underway on the Gardens and Southern Grasslands (Reference1, 8). A 9.9M pound remediation programmed funded by a grant from Homes England will begin in Spring 2020 in order to prepare the site to deliver 1,500 homes with supporting retail leisure and community uses. Liverpool City Council has started to engage prospective investors, developers and operators in discussions for bringing forward the project. It has opened opportunities for investor involvement which includes equity partners, co-investment or development funding, offering a potential for a long-term relationship with a public sector partner or investor. The project will be built in several phases commencing in Summer 2021 (Reference 9).

The area around Selma Lagerlöf’s square is one of the city's main development areas. The Park and the Parks and Landscape Administration is responsible for creating a new park in the area. It will be like a hub for meetings, greenery, relaxation and activities in the new Selma city. Together with the square area, it aims to become the basis for the common social life in the district. The park will attract visitors of different ages and with different interests and be an attraction for all of Göteborg. The project is currently ongoing and is expected to get completed in 2023. (Ref. 1, 4)

The Park Jose Antonio Labordeta is the most extensive park in all of Zaragoza, consisting of municipal nurseries, botanical gardens, and areas for leisure and recreation. (Ref. 4) From 2006 to 2007 a process of citizen participation was started to collect ideas for the improvement of the park on its 75th anniversary. (Ref. 1) In 2010, the City Council of Zaragoza developed a Master Plan to document these ideas and to guide future management of the park. (Ref. 1) The interventions in the Master Plan include landscape improvement, park management, agronomic improvements, among others. (Ref. 1)

The city's nature conservation project in Göteborg includes ongoing work on making Lärjeån's valley (Lärjeåns dalgång) a natural reserve. The purpose of forming a nature reserve for Lärjeån valley (Lärjeåns dalgång) is to ensure the area's great natural and cultural landscape and outdoor life values. Parts of the area are of national interest for nature conservation and are also part of the EU's protected nature conservation network, Natura 2000. The ravine landscape of Lärjeån is home to some very interesting flora and fauna like salmon, trout and pearl mussel. The consultation for the project has ended. Comments received during the consultation period are currently being processed. Preliminary new information is yet to come on how the case will be pursued. The nature reserve will be formed with the support of the Environmental Code. (Ref. 1, 7 , 8)

Revitalization of Rakova Jelša includes cleaning of the informal waste area and renovating it in a park which connects the city with the Marsh Landscape Park. In two phases, the park area was arranged together with the children's playground and the footbridge over Lahov graben. The possibility of regulated urban self-sufficient agriculture or gardens in the immediate vicinity of the city center means the added value of this area. (1)